Tunagur Dies at 82
The former Religious Affairs Directorate Deputy Head passed away at Istanbul Maltepe Sema Hospital where he was receiving medical treatment.
Serving as the Religious Affairs Directorate in many Turkish cities and conquering the heart of the Turkish nation, Tunagur had been hospitalized for a week and was receiving treatment for heart and kidney problems.
The 82-year-old "man of loyalty" died at 2:30 a.m.
The funeral prayer for Tunagur was held at Fatih Mosque today at noon.
He was buried in the section behind the mausoleum of the late Turgut Ozal, former Turkish President, at Topkapi Cemetery.
The fans of Tunagur, who served as mufti in Ezine, Canakkale, and Balikesir define him as "a person who combined his respect for the state and his religious personality and contributed to the good relationships between the state and the nation of the Republic."
Tunagur had a charismatic personality and conversed freely with everyone from ordinary citizens to the highest ranking officials, and he had courage and delivered sermons distinguished by fierce determination.
The "man of loyalty" was also the man behind the idea of establishing Private Fatih High Schools.
Turkish Religious Affairs Director Ali Bardakoglu terms Tunagur as a person of high standards. "He has contributed a lot in the circle of Religious Affairs."
Erdogan Tuzun, who served as the Religious Affairs Directorate with Tunagur, says: "The Religious Affairs Directorate was regarded as the directorate of cadastre. Tunagur turned it into an institution speaking on behalf of religion."
Gülen: A brave, intellectual and honorable religious scholar
Tunagur was an honorable and brave person, pointed out Fethullah Gülen Hodja.
Gülen talks about Tunagur: When I first met him, he was 37 years old and I had not yet completed my military service. He had a black beard. He was quite an honorable religious scholar serving as a model with his manners and attitudes. He was a gentleman of Istanbul-origin, and he produced a sense of awe and respect around him; he used to speak so bravely, and he always did what he said. The things he did were always proper. He had an intellectual aspect, too. I saw a real love of Prophet Mohammed in him, and he used to talk about the Prophet's companions with tears in his eyes. He was one of the rare people who could balance this excitement and love in his mind and had self-control beyond his years. We were so close with Yasar Hodja that I felt I was virtually a member of his family. When his mother died, he buried her alone, and he looked around and when he saw me, said, "Come and help me lower her in." His mother was a very respectable and venerable woman. We lowered her into the grave together. Yasar Hodja was a sociable person; he had the fear of God and modesty. He expressed his aims in the best possible way when it was about serving God. He filtered his feelings with his mind and immediately turned it into speech. He had such a presence that very few people have. God made him an instrument on an extremely important quest. His coming to Kestanepazari, his firing the first torch there was an honor. So many people gathered and prayed for him, these prayers will raise him to the highest peak.
Heart Failure cause of death
Tunagur had been hospitalized a week ago and was receiving treatment for heart and kidney problems at Private Sema Hospital. Associate Professor Ilyas Akdemir administering Tunagur's treatment said Tunagur Hodja's heart stopped beating at 02:30 a.m. on Saturday night.
Tunagur's treatment was going well, Akdemir informed. "Following the sudden heart failure, our patient didn't respond to our efforts to revive him."
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